Reed joins Office of Research Education and Training

Shanoa Reed brings a passion for improving access and success rates for traditionally underrepresented students to her new position at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine.  

As assistant director in the Office of Research Education and Training, Reed manages the recruitment and admissions process, implements retention initiatives, and advises doctoral students in the Basic Medical Sciences Graduate Program. 

“I enjoy playing a role in student development and walking alongside our students on their path to graduation,” she said. “Watching students grow as research scientists is rewarding because the research they're conducting while they are here and after they graduate has the potential to lessen health disparities and improve the future of healthcare.” 

Reed works alongside co-directors Thomas Rich, Ph.D., and Mark Taylor, Ph.D., in the Office of Research Education and Training, which provides training, support and administration for undergraduate researchers, doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows within the Whiddon College of Medicine.

Previously, Reed was the retention and re-engagement coordinator in the department of student academic success at the University of South Alabama. The role gave her the opportunity to gain experience analyzing institutional data to aid in the development of retention initiatives and enrollment management techniques. 

Reed is a doctoral candidate in higher education administration at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her dissertation, which she expects to defend in December, is related to understanding how noncognitive success indicators impact student outcomes in test-optional student populations.

She received a bachelor’s degree in communications from USA in 2014, followed by a master’s degree in strategic communication from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. 

GHHS members observe Solidarity Week

Members of the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society delivered treats to staff and patients at USA Health University Hospital as part of Solidarity Week. 

Members of the University of South Alabama chapter of the Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society paid special visits to patients and hospital staff last week as part of Solidarity Week, a national initiative designed to remind students and healthcare employees of the importance of compassion in medicine.

“GHHS members are committed to practicing compassion in healthcare far beyond Solidarity Week. The Gold Humanism Honor Society celebrates across the nation with acts of compassion and kindness toward patients, faculty, staff and classmates,” said T.J. Hundley, M.D., associate dean for medical education and a chapter adviser. “One of our new events this year was Honest Conversations, where our GHHS students collaborated with the Wellness Council and hosted a panel of physicians covering topics of wellness, burnout and compassionate care. It was a full auditorium with phenomenal participation and will likely become a yearly event during Solidarity Week.”

GHHS members also hosted Solidarity Bingo for hospital staff and faculty members in honor of Wellness Wednesday. In this game, individual spaces were marked off when a task was completed. Some of the squares read “tell a co-worker ‘thank you,’” “check on a patient’s family member,” and “encourage someone.”

“Our goal with Solidarity Bingo was to spread humanism in medicine,” said Ashley Nguyen, social coordinator for GHHS. “We did our best to include each member of the Whiddon College of Medicine and USA Health to further emphasize the need for collaboration in obtaining a healthy working environment and providing patient-centered care.”

Members also delivered cake pops to various floors at USA Health University Hospital and USA Health Children’s & Women’s Hospital for staff and patients. They also offered free meal vouchers for staff members and free doughnuts for Whiddon College of Medicine faculty members. 

The national Gold Humanism Honor Society office established National Solidarity Day for Compassionate Care in 2011 to highlight the nationwide movement promoting provider-patient relationships based on care, personalization and mutual respect. The movement gained momentum particularly after the Senate passed a resolution in 2013 and 2014 to officially recognize Solidarity Day on the national calendar, and it is now typically celebrated on or around Valentine’s Day.

View more photos from Solidarity Week on Flickr. Share your own posts and photos using the hashtag #SolidarityWeek.

Learn more about Solidarity Week.

Fundraising event for Ukraine set for Feb. 24

The Ukrainian staff of the Whiddon College of Medicine is holding a fundraising event dedicated to the one-year anniversary of the beginning of the war in Ukraine. The event will take place Friday, Feb. 24, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the first-floor lobby of the Medical Sciences Building. 

Ukrainian home-baked goods, candies and small souvenirs will be offered for sale. All of the collected money will be transferred to the Leleka Foundation, a nonprofit organization that distributes medical and first-aid supplies to the hospitals in Ukraine. Cash or check payments will be accepted.

If you have any questions, contact Viktoriya Pastukh at 251-461-1676 or vvpastukh@southalabama.edu. 

Alumni Spotlight: Nita Landry, M.D. ’07

Since graduating from the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine in 2007, Nita Landry, M.D., has distinguished herself in several arenas beyond medicine. In addition to being a board-certified OB-GYN, she served as co-host of the Emmy-Award-winning talk show “The Doctors” for six seasons, founded a nonprofit for individuals from marginalized communities, and is a sought-after speaker, author and media expert. 

“The educational foundation obtained at the USA College of Medicine provided me with the knowledge and confidence needed to pursue a nontraditional path,” she said.

A Louisiana native, Landry graduated summa cum laude with a degree in biology from Dillard University, a historically Black university in New Orleans. As an undergrad, she completed 1,000 hours of community service, was a cheerleader and homecoming queen, and was involved in the Student Government Association and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Landry participated in the University of South Alabama’s Biomedical Enrichment and Recruitment (BEAR) Program, led by Hattie Myles, Ph.D., former assistant dean for student affairs and educational enrichment at the Whiddon College of Medicine. Later renamed DREAM, the eight-week pipeline program exposed and encouraged disadvantaged and underrepresented students to consider careers in medicine. 

While she was a medical student, Landry was a member of the Student National Medical Association and a recipient of the Class of 2007’s Community Service Award. “Getting to know my classmates was definitely one of the highlights of my medical school experience,” she said.

After earning her medical degree, she completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. She is certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 

Following residency, she practiced as a traveling physician, with clinical experience ranging from providing care to Alaska Native communities to working in the Mayo Clinic Health System. Traveling across the country on temporary assignments, she cared for women in major cities and “the middle of nowhere,” disadvantaged youth, teenage mothers, and women in domestic violence situations.

Working locum tenens provided Landry the flexibility to pursue her other interest: entertainment. She created a reel – which included clips of her interviewing people on the streets of Hollywood about sex and women’s health – and posted it to her newly created website.

Her reel grabbed the attention of “The Doctors” producers, who invited her to be a guest expert on a segment of the daytime talk show. That stint led to a recurring role as a co-host of the show from 2016 to 2021. Known as “Dr. Nita,” she addressed the full gamut of medical topics and answered questions from viewers across America. 

Since then, she has served as a medical expert for multiple shows, including “Dr. Phil,” “CBS National News,” “Good Morning America” and the “Today” show. She has also been featured in national media outlets like The Atlantic, Cosmopolitan, Women’s Health, Shape, Self, Essence and Heathline.

Landry served as an ambassador for National Women’s Health Week from 2018 to 2021 and a national breast cancer awareness campaign spearheaded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As a keynote speaker, she has spoken at national female-focused events about optimizing health and closing the health disparities gap. 

“My goal is to educate and uplift teenagers and women around the world,” she said. “From safe sex to teenage pregnancy to relationship drama and a multitude of other women's health issues, I look for innovative ways to tear down walls that prevent us from having open, honest conversations about female health issues.”

In her first book, “Dr. Nita’s Crash Course for Women: Better Sex, Better Health, Better You,” published in October 2022, she combined her “straight talk and science savvy” to empower women to take charge of their health and well-being. 

Additionally, Landry founded a nonprofit, A Healthier, Happier Me, to help children, teens and adults from marginalized communities thrive physically, emotionally and financially. The interactive programs provide age-appropriate, life-saving information and resources that are custom-tailored to address the issues impacting participants.

Learn more about Nita Landry, M.D., at drnitalandry.com.